This invention relates to a vehicle-mounted equipment carrier, such as a bicycle carrier, and more particularly to a cradle or hold-down for engaging an item of equipment, such as a bicycle, with a support member of the carrier.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a cradle or hold-down for a vehicle-mounted equipment carrier, such as a bicycle carrier, includes a support section that is engaged with a support arm of the carrier, in combination with a retainer section that is interconnected with the support section and is laterally offset from the support section. The retainer section includes a flexible retainer member, such as a retainer strap, which extends from a base of the retainer section. The support section defines an outwardly facing engagement surface that is configured to engage the item of equipment, such as the frame of a bicycle. In one form, the support section includes a resilient support member having a passage through which the support arm of the carrier extends, and the resilient support member defines the outwardly facing engagement surface. The resilient support member is contained within an interior defined by a rigid shell member, which engages external surfaces defined by the resilient support member and provides support for the structure of the resilient support member. The resilient support member and the rigid shell member define interlocking structure for maintaining the support member and the shell member together. The base of the retainer section is preferably formed integrally with the rigid shell member, and comprises a lateral extension of the shell member. The flexible retainer member is secured to the base of the retainer section via mating engagement structure. Representatively, the mating engagement structure may be in the form of an upwardly facing T-shaped slot in the base of the retainer section, in combination with a matching inverted T-shaped projection on the flexible retainer member that is received within the T-shaped slot in the base of the retainer section.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a cradle or hold-down for a vehicle-mounted equipment carrier, such as a bicycle carrier, includes a resilient support member contained within a rigid outer shell. The resilient support member defines a passage through which the support arm of the carrier extends, and is maintained in position on the support arm via frictional engagement of the resilient support member with the support arm. The outer shell includes aligned openings through which interlocking structure of the support member extends, so as to interlock the support member and the rigid outer shell. In one form, the interlocking structure of the support member comprises a pair of oppositely facing peripheral rims or lips, each of extends from a side surface of the support member at the location at which the passage opens onto the side surface of the support member. The rims pr lips extend into the aligned openings in the outer shell, to interlock the support member and the outer shell. The shell defines an upwardly facing opening that supports an upwardly facing engagement section of the support member. With this construction, the support member is received within an internal cavity defined by the rigid outer shell. The cradle or hold-down further includes a retainer member for maintaining the item of equipment in engagement with the engagement surface of the support member. The retainer member is preferably in the form of a retainer strap that is adapted to be wrapped about the item of equipment, and which is mounted to a retainer base section that is laterally offset from the engagement section of the support member. In one form, the retainer base section is formed integrally with the rigid outer shell. The retainer strap and the retainer base section include a connection arrangement, which may be in the form of a slot in the retainer base section that is configured to receive a projection associated with the retainer strap. The projection is slidably engaged within the slot, so as to securely mount the retainer strap to the retainer base section. The resilient support member is configured to prevent disengagement of the projection of the retainer strap from the slot of the retainer base section when the support member is received within the internal cavity of the outer shell.
The features and aspects of the present invention as summarized above may be individually incorporated in a cradle or hold-down for an equipment carrier. In a preferred form, however, the features and aspects of the present invention are used in combination to provide a cradle or hold-down having a particularly advantageous construction and operation.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.